Updated: 2013 Mt Baker Legendary Banked Slalom Preview And Qualifiers

The annual pilgrimage to the Northwest is underway. Terje Haakonsen will be defending his first place golden duct tape roll from last year, and considering the crews in town, the competition is heavy. Travis Rice, Nicolas Muller, Josh Dirksen, Temple Cummins, Lucas Debari, Blair Habenicht and hordes of snowboarding's best are lurking, soaking up new pow and getting ready for the 28th annual Mount Baker Legendary Banked Slalom to begin. Before the waxing, chowder and sidebets start, here's a rundown of the weekend preview of photos to get the hype going.

The recent storm dropped a good dollip of snow on the course. While most crews were out tracking up the mountain, a lucky few snuck in some inspection laps in the buttery berms. Is the course better for goofy footers or regular boarders? There’s a mean right hander around a tree up top if that tells you anything. But Terje’s qualified switch before, so does it even matter? We overheard longtime loc Pat McCarthy mention early today that, “This is the best banked course I’ve ever ridden here, it’s so smooth.” We’ll see what he has to say on Sunday when the banks are scraped down to hardpack.

If it’s your first time to the event, the course starts right off the top of Chair 5. The race kicks off with qualifiers on Friday, February 8th. For more info visit mtbaker.us